Musharraf at risk of impeachment

Sunday

Mar 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 30, 2008 at 11:48 AM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani won a unanimous vote of confidence from the national assembly yesterday and pledged to begin rolling back some of the authoritarian measures imposed in late 2007 by President Pervez Musharraf in six weeks of unofficial martial law.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani won a unanimous vote of confidence from the national assembly yesterday and pledged to begin rolling back some of the authoritarian measures imposed in late 2007 by President Pervez Musharraf in six weeks of unofficial martial law.

Gillani, who took office Tuesday, legally was required to win a vote of confidence before his government could embark on its work. No Pakistani prime minister had ever won such a vote unanimously.

Yesterday's impassioned parliamentary session brought the latest indications that the new government, made up of the former political opposition, might make it impossible for Musharraf to remain in office, even in a much-diminished role.

Analysts and some opposition figures said the wall-to-wall support for Gillani suggested the new government might be in a position to muster the two-thirds support needed in both houses of parliament to impeach Musharraf, if it chooses to do so.

"We have the numbers for impeachment," said Kwaja Asif, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, the junior partner in the new ruling coalition.

Musharraf's far-outnumbered party, however, said the vote in favor of Gillani yesterday was merely a signal of willingness to work with the new government.

Musharraf's ouster would be a serious blow to the Bush administration, which fears that its longtime ally's abrupt departure from the political scene could trigger instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan and hamper efforts to fight al-Qaida and the Taliban.

The Bush administration has been scrambling to build ties with Pakistan's new leaders, but two senior U.S. diplomats received a chilly reception on a visit last week.

Many ordinary Pakistanis deeply resent the unflagging U.S. support for Musharraf in the past six months.

In his first policy speech, Gillani said yesterday that his government will work to restore judges fired by Musharraf and order the lifting of restrictions placed on broadcasters during last year's emergency rule. Gillani also said the government would be willing to negotiate with Islamic militants, but only those who lay down their arms.

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